Over 50 Dating Sites: Are They Better Than Sites for All Ages?

While most popular dating sites allow you to select any age range, several dating sites, such as SilverSingles, OurTime, and SeniorMatch, cater specifically to men and women over the age of 50. Each of these websites has an uncomplicated design, thorough search features, and an ease of use—plus they provide a safe and convenient way to connect. But what site works best for you may depend on what you’re looking for.

Those seeking out a relationship or marriage might want to try a site that targets those around their same age. Most people follow the “half your age plus seven” to figure out a minimum age to date, and “your age minus seven times two” to figure out the maximum. So if you’re 50 years old, your “best” age range to date would be 32-86, which is a huge range.

The benefit of using dating sites that are open to all ages means you have a larger dating pool and can connect with anyone within your selected range, especially if you may not be looking for your next serious relationship.

But if you’re looking for a serious relationship or marriage, studies show that you’re likely to have the most long-term success if you match with someone close to your own age. According to a 2014 study from Emory University, couples with a one-year age difference have a mere three percent chance of getting divorced. When you bump the age gap up to five years, the chance of divorce goes up to 18 percent. A 10-year difference is 39 percent, and a 20-year age gap has a jaw-dropping 95 percent chance of ending in divorce. Researchers analyzed over 3,000 couples for the study, and found that the larger the age gap between a couple, the more likely they are to get divorced.

Age is not necessarily an indicator of relationship success or failure. It can depend a lot on whether the partners share similar values, beliefs, and goals; if they can support each other; and if both can actively work to foster trust and intimacy through constructive conflict resolution.

But you can assume that those who choose to use dating sites catered to people of a similar age have some shared values and goals. You can also assume that they’ve probably had some similar life experiences that would benefit them going into their next relationship. Plus you may not want to connect with someone who isn’t sure what they’re looking for and is, therefore, open to all options. Do you want the person you’ve connected with to be looking at people aged 32-86? Do you want to be the one 52 year old they’ve matched with while they’ve got dates lined up with someone as young as 32? It’s something to consider. What you can offer to your next partner is going to be vastly different from what that 32 year old might, and you may want that out of the equation entirely.

Dating in your 50s is totally different than it was in your 20s. You’re more seasoned. You’ve seen more of life, and you have a clear picture of what you don’t want, even if you don’t necessarily know what you do want yet. If you know, though, that you’re looking for a serious relationship or marriage, dating sites that are geared more toward seniors can help you better find a special someone that is looking for someone just like you. You want your next relationship to be successful and selecting someone close to your age, who feels the same way, is your best bet.

Tara Mae Mulroy is a freelance writer and blogger who focuses on relationships. She is a regular contributor on Medium as well asthe author of the full-length poetry collection, Swallow, and other writing found at taramaemulroy.com.